Rising’s Arturo Rodriguez sealed his first spot in a USL Championship Team of the Week, despite still having yet to record a start for the club.
“I just played less than twenty minutes and I came in to try to do what I like to do,” Rodriguez said. “The team needed it and we got the two goals.”
The 22-year-old entered the match in the 72nd minute, with Rising trailling by two. He proceeded to create six chances, as well as recording assists on each of the goals that saw his side come back to rescue a point.
“Before I came in, I saw a lot of spaces in the field and I was like ‘I can do something in those spaces’,” he added.
In the time since he joined from North Texas, Rodriguez has made an impression on his coach for the time he’s putting in after training.
“We knew that when he was in League One and then when he went to RSL, that the knock on him was his size,” Rising coach Rick Schantz said. “But he’s already put on quite a bit of muscle and I’m so happy for him because he’s been working so hard and I told him I was very proud.
“We have Arturo on a contract for a long, long time, and my goal is that someday he’ll be the best player in this league.”
Now going into a game against Tacoma Defiance, Schantz faces a selection dilemma. Rodriguez, and equalising goalscorer Joey Calistri, have both set out their arguments on the field to secure a starting spot next weekend. Additionally, Rising’s coach said that he hopes both Noah Billingsley and Aodhan Quinn will be available for selection come Saturday.
“Each week, the field players have to compete for their time,” Schantz said. “Joey knows his role here, and he stepped in at a time where we needed him to step in. We know he can do that. If he doesn’t start the next game, I don’t think that it changes him at all as a person.”
With rotation between goalkeepers Ben Lundt and Andre Rawls a prominent feature of this Rising squad, the coach was keeping coy about his choice to start between the posts in the next game.
“I haven’t decided yet,” Schantz said. “I had been switching back and forth but I’ve got to meet with the goalkeepers tomorrow.”
Rising faces Tacoma at Wild Horse Pass on Saturday, kicking off at 7:30 p.m.
Want to hear more? Preview Saturday’s game with Rising Matchday – streaming at 9 a.m. Saturday morning on YouTube and Facebook, and available on demand shortly after.